Todd Benevedes, owner of Elliott Bay Landscape Design Inc., worked his magic again this year. He has assisted in building show gardens for members of d4collective for the last three years. He and his crews performed the difficult tasks of show construction management, infrastructure construction, low voltage lighting, stone wall construction, as well as take-down after the show.

Elliott Bay Landscape Design Inc. on d4collective's "Build Team"

Todd devised the technique to support the ‘Richlite’ retaining walls for d4collective’s show garden enclosure. His crews carefully lay a drystacked wall which supported an inside curve and an outside curve of the garden enclosure.

Drystack Wall on the 'Inside Curve'

Drystack Wall on the 'Outside Curve'

Todd Benevedes at Elliott Bay Landscape Design Inc. has built gardens in many neighborhoods of the Greater Seattle area for members of d4collective. Might yours be next?

A portion of Mary Oliver’s poem entitled ‘Mindful’ was showcased by these panels which were silk screened by the Tacoma company ‘Slide Sideways.’ Slide Sideways is the creative studio of husband and wife duo Scott & Jacqui Scoggin. They collaborated with d4collective to honor two of our chosen poets and showcased their own creative style.

Jacqui of Slide Sideways at work on panels for d4collective.

Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

I enjoyed hearing a guest say, “Thank you for featuring Mary Oliver’s writing in your garden. She’s a national treasure!”

The signature garden of the 2011 Northwest Flower & Garden Show took full advantage of the ceiling….for hanging. Yes, half of the garden seemed as if d4collective hung it from the sky!

Sketch of 'Hanging Book Sculpture'

‘The Garden in Verse’ was celebrated by a hanging sculpture, or mobile, and featured images of book covers from the garden designers’ libraries. We chose verse from authors who honored nature with their words. We chose verse from different centuries and cultures. Our intent is to support the story of making conscious choice to heal and nurture the garden plots we call our own. Our intent is to underscore that all of our gardens, the garden collective, need to support and sustain the environment. This message isn’t new, it is the same message written for centuries. And that is illustrated by the verse, “You will find more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you more than you can learn from masters.“ ~St. Bernard de Clairvaux (1090-1153)

The 2011 Northwest Flower & Garden Show is just barely a week into history yet it’s positive energy is still evident. Gratitude surrounds nearly every thought and memory of the experience. “Thank You Notes” will be the focus of this blog for a few weeks.

Entering "The Garden In Verse"

The success of the 1st Annual ‘Signature Garden’ entitled “The Garden In Verse” was easily measured by the response of the show attendees. Their comments upon exiting the garden echoed our intentions. The words: ethereal, peaceful, calm, quiet, and sanctuary, were in our written brief and the most often heard compliments. Thank you for absorbing and feeling what we wanted you to experience!

under the arbor...begins the peaceful embrace of "The Garden In Verse"

From d4collective, [Octavia Chambliss, Barbara Lycett, Susie Thompson and Daniel Lowery] we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the chance to reveal our garden design talents and share them with you.

d4collective will manage 43 volunteers over 3 1/2 days to construct their creation, “The Garden in Verse”. This is the first ‘Signature Garden’ in the history of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. New this year, the show owners are sponsoring a garden to set the stage and tone. They chose the theme “Once Upon A Time…Spectacular Gardens with Stories to Tell.”

Spreadsheet creator, Barbara Lycett, ponders the schedule

We are feeling great about our planning and organization. It is now about two weeks before we start building the garden. We start on Friday night, February 18th, 2011…….on a full moon. Our intentions have been set to visualize a calm and grounded team, with patience and understanding, while seeing a joyfully successful project.

Fourteen trucks get unloaded inside a five – hour window. We have to know “who’s on first?” and “what’s in truck no. #7 ?” and “what’s for lunch?”

checking it thrice......

That’s right: volunteer shift no. #2 has lunch duty as their first task!

After months of serious business getting ready for the 2011 Northwest Flower & Garden Show….we have been hearing some really healthy belly laughs.

In Bermuda Shorts, up front on the left is 'Dudley'.

Dress rehearsal from the artistic efforts of ‘Caprifolium’ and McGilvra Elementary School took off all edges and let us melt into our chairs, laughing and feeling grateful for the comedic relief. There’s Dudley and Emmett. And Paris, Gloria, and Mrs. Wentworth. Pay close attention to Beulah (pronounced with five syllables). Margot, Maria Rosita and Florence B (a nice way of saying ‘fluffybutt’) round out the flock of Ibis that will migrate into “The Garden in Verse”.

Mrs. Wentworth rules the roost with a stern but graceful gaze.

Eli, Barbara’s cat, has attended every meeting since the beginning of d4collective back in July 2010. He always checks in entering the room with a loud “Me Yoooowaa” to see if we are on schedule and if anyone can get him a piece of tuna or cheese. When asked if he would lend his name to the un-official mascot [the aforementioned flying pig], Eli nodded and asked for more cheese.

Eli: the true mascot of d4collective

Pets can have the same “blood pressure reducing” effect as many gardens do. Lucky us.